Knots of Grey
by The Last Kitten
Summary: Dir en Grey AU. What happens when the past becomes our prison instead of our teacher? Life happens, and life is full of grey. Be warned, love makes fools of us all.
1. Chapter 1

**Story**: Knots of Gray

**Genre:** Dir en Grey, AU

**Chapter:** 1. Forget something?

**Author:** The Last Kitten

**Main Parings:** Daisuke/BoA, Daisuke/Shinya, Kaoru/Kyo, Kaoru/OFC, Kaoru/Takako Matsu, Kyo/OFC, Miyavi/Shinya, OFC/OFC, Toshiya/Several Famous women (lol), Toshiya/OFC.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of Dir en Grey's music and I do not personally know Daisuke, Kaoru, Kyo, Shinya, Toshiya, or any of the famous women in this fic. I am just a super otaku writing for my, and who ever likes this, own pleasure. I'm not making any money off of this fic. If you sue me I have nothing of value but my Sailor Moon bed sheets. (Did I mention that I'm 23 years old? oO)

**Author's Note:** This fic was first inspired by the videos KR Cube, Obscure, Hydra (Live), and the songs Garbage and Umbrella. All of these videos and songs woke up a new plot bunny till there were so many they jumped me on my way home from class…sob… so now here we are. Also, I will be putting in as much information as possible in this first chapter so that we can get right to the story in the rest.

**AN2:** The first two chapters of this fic will not be beta red, as I posted them without my Beta's much needed skills, in an attempt to strengthen my own. When she found out I posted it without her she was…how to say it in a PG sort of way…pissed off. lol Now, after a serious guilt trip, and a bit of groveling, The Mad Scientist has agreed to beta the rest of my story. If you see any mistakes in the first two chapters that you feel are heinous enough to need fixing, by all means review and tell me about them. Any mistakes you find in the chapters after the third are most likely my own because I refused to change something my Beta told me to. lol

**AN3:** **" "** Means **talking**.

**' '** Means **thinking**.

Last thing I swear! If you would like to here any of the music that is mentioned in the story you can go to http// youtube. com and type in the artist name and/or song title and you should be able to find it easily.

ooooo Means a scene change.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I can't wait to go home." Skyler took a deep breath. "It's been three whole months." She sipped her drink. "Mmmmm, I miss Japan." She sat the warm whiskey on the slightly trembling table and looked down on Moscow through the window of their private plane.

"Russia's too cold. The top of mount Fugi in December isn't that cold," she smiled slightly and feigned a shiver. "Even my bones have goose bumps."

Natasha laughed, "Now you're just being silly." She didn't bother speaking English at all any more. After nearly ten years Skyler spoke perfect Russian, and when she didn't understand it was because she didn't want to.

"No I'm not. You're Russian and you drink Vodka all day, that's why you're never cold." Skyler spied Natasha out of the corner of her eye watching her reaction.

Natasha just laughed louder, but when she settled she stood to join Skyler on the plush cream love seat. Natasha looked in to her eyes, "Russia is your home too you know." She smoothed a stray lock behind her ear and Skyler looked away.

"I know…it's just…."

Suddenly Hava Nagila began blaring from somewhere and Natasha began laughing again as Skyler frantically began searching for her cell phone.

Natasha crossed her legs and snickered, "when are you going to change that ring tone? You are no where near Jewish and neither is your mom."

Skyler stuck her tongue out as she pulled her cell from under an adjacent couch cushion. 'How the hell did it get under there,' she thought.

"Hi mom…."

"HAPPY BIRTH DAY TO YOU…."

Skyler held the phone away from her ear as a large group of relatives sang/yelled happy birth day to her, while Natasha chuckled and occupied herself with the shrinking sight of her homeland.

Twenty minutes later Skyler was still trying to say goodbye to her relatives.

"Yes…Yes…I love you too…thank you. Thank you too…Mom…m…mom. Mom, tell him I said thank you. Yes, send it to the Japanese address. Love you too…bye bye…bye…ok…oki'llseeyouatchrismassdinnergottago bye!"

She snapped the phone closed and took a breath.

"Do they have to do that every year?" She roughly shoved the phone into the inside pocket of her suit and began checking her other pockets.

"Oh come on you know you love it," Natasha chuckled, but a moment later she raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking for," she inquired.

"I don't know. I feel like I'm forgetting something." She sighed. "Oh well. Hay, at least they remembered to call a few days in advance this time."

"Well what do you expect, they can never reach you on your birthday."

Skyler lifted an eyebrow of her own and smirked. "That's usually your fault."

Natasha lifted her fingers to gently touch those soft smirking lips. "Damn right."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Look! Just put the God damned thing down, I'll do it myself," Kyo snapped.

The movers looked at each other, frightened for their jobs, and carefully sat the large painting down. Kyo lifted the painting and teetered precariously towards the wall but managed to hang it perfectly. The two movers had disappeared during the ordeal and he was glad. The incompetence of the workers he'd been supplied with had worn his last nerve to a thread and his tension was rising quickly. Silently he stalked through the studio, past the dozens of new paintings he'd been hording for his third opening and auction in as many years. Past Kaoru, his art dealer, past Shinya, the head of his security and reluctant muse, and past a dozen other frightened movers; all the while reaching in to each of his pants and jacket pockets. He didn't stop until he reached the raised edge of the roof, daft fingers retrieving one of two Phillip Morris's from behind his ear.

"Incompetent….baka…tonmo…mother fuc…"

"Their not that bad," Kaoru laughed as he stepped out onto the roof.

"Yes, yes they are," Kyo took a breath and turned his back to him. "Bumbling teme! I swear if they drop one of my paintings…even one, I'm going to kill them all. Every single one, slowly."

Kyo took a deep drag from his cigarette and almost choked on it when Kaoru's arms snaked around his shoulders. He hadn't heard him approach and he reached around to poke him in the side for sneaking up on him.

"This is gonna be a great show you know."

"Yea I know." Kyo let out a breath.

"You're the best painter in Japan."

"Yea, yea I know."

"Kyo, what's wrong? You've been crankier than normal lately. Is it the show…stress…PMS…what," he asked with a straight face.

Kyo took another drag and turned his head to blow the smoke in Kaoru's face, but Kaoru quickly stole a kiss in retaliation, and Kyo bit his bottom lip.

"I don't know," he continued a moment later, "I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something. For the past three days I've felt like I'm forgetting something, but I don't know what. I've rechecked every painting in the gallery twice and it's really starting to piss me off." Kyo stared hard at the Tokyo skyline. "Anyway, why are you being so nice all of the sudden?" He turned his head slightly and looked at Kaoru out of the corner of his eye. "You're not getting any tonight."

Kaoru poked him in the side, hard.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Daisuke paced back and forth in front of the refreshments table nibbling furiously on his thumb nail. The opening had begun and hour ago and was going smoothly as dozens of famous Japanese superstars, dignitaries, and press people moved about mingling and whispering in awe of the beautiful paintings. There was also an array of foreign dignitaries and paparazzi. The only one missing was the artist himself.

"Stop fidgeting, it's only been an hour," Toshiya gripped. The notorious raven haired ladies man had been watching his brother pace for the last half an hour and his feet were beginning to hurt just looking at him.

"I can't!" Daisuke's eyes sparkled as he spoke. "This is Drako Sky's first public appearance…ever. No one knows what she really looks like or who she really is. She was made up like a geisha in that picture she released. No one could really tell anything through all the makeup…but a lot of people think she's Japanese." His expression darkened a bit as he continued. "All we know for sure is that she's married to that billionaire business man Aleksis Dimitre." He spoke the name with distain. "I hate that guy. He's all rich and good looking…one of those sleazy slick politician types." His words trailed off as he turned to look at his brother. "I can't wait to get my book signed. I'm so glad…what?" He stopped at Toshiya's confused expression.

"My God, you actually think I care. That's so sweet." Toshiya clapped a hand on Daisuke's shoulder before he began pacing and biting his nails again. He glanced down at the thick novel held tight to his chest then at the door again. Another limo pulled up and Daisuke face lit up with a bright smile, but it quickly faded as Gackt stepped out and the crowd screamed.

"Kuso," he cursed and continued pacing.

Toshiya rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go get you a drink, aniki." He watched Daisuke now chewing on his thumb and first finger nails, "Something strong."

Daisuke turned on his millionth trip past the punch bowl just as the DJ began to speak. "Here's one from our very own Utada Hikaru. This is Colors…."

At the last word Daisuke nearly bumped noses with Shinya, an unruly blush covering his face at the near contact with the stoic man.

"Uh, choto sumimasen," he stepped back and bowed quickly.

Shinya didn't reply. He simply stood to the side and put a hand on Daisuke's shoulder. He smiled slightly and Daisuke blushed harder as Shinya inclined his head towards the door. Daisuke looked over at the rush of photographers and his eyes widened.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Skyler took a deep breath. 'You can do this…you can do this…,' she repeated to herself.

Natasha looked over at her and squeezed her hand.

"You ready?"

She took a few more calming breaths. "You promise you won't leave me," she whispered.

"I promise."

"You swear?" She squeezed her eyes closed tightly and rested her hand on her heart.

Natasha took the hand and kissed the large diamond ring on her wedding finger.

"I swear," she said patiently.

Abruptly Skyler opened her eyes. "Damn it! I feel like I'm forgetting something!"

Natasha just laughed at her. She'd been checking her purse, pockets, and the entire apartment for days trying to retrieve the ever elusive intangible object. "Well it's to late now," Natasha quipped as the driver opened the limo door.

The light from camera flashes and the brightness of the gallery was blinding after the darkness of the limo. Skyler squeezed her "husband's" hand, straightening her back at the shocked expressions on the camera men's faces, and entered the building.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A tall slightly feminine looking man with broad shoulders and long white hair entered the gallery building, followed by a borage of questions and camera flashes. His crisp black suit was adorned with a diamond studded belt, Rolex, and an ankle length black leather trench coat. Briefly, Kyo wondered how much bleach one would have to go through to get hair that white, but his thoughts were cut short as his eyes fell on the pâté woman at his side. He smirked and glanced at Daisuke. He watched the look of realization spread across his face before the boy smack himself in the head. He could read the word "Duh" on his lips and tried to resist the laughter he felt bubbling up. 'Daisuke owes me five bucks,' Kyo thought.

He looked back at the couple and noticed the redness of the man's hand. 'She's squeezing his hand'. The woman's face was molded into an obviously practiced smile that didn't even touch her eyes. Kyo almost laughed but another wave of forgetful paranoia hit him and he rolled his eyes as he began checking his pockets again.

"Kuso, what the hell am I….?"

He glanced back down at the woman standing next to the blond and the feeling suddenly stopped. He looked closer and watched her eyes scan the room. Quite suddenly he had the urge to move. He somehow knew that if he stayed in his current hiding spot he would be seen. He didn't know why that bothered him but he quickly stood and ran for the stairs.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Everything froze in Skyler's mind. Photographic memory was both a blessing and a curse, but this time something was different. The forgetting feeling was nagging full force and she clutched at her purse. She looked around the frozen room and took in everyone's face, including the boy near the punch bowl smacking his self in the head. She looked at every face, painting, window, door, and light fixture in sight. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were the guests, the caterers, the paparazzi….and then she felt a chill. Paranoia, like she hadn't felt in years, was threatening her flight response and she closed her eyes for a moment. She was being watched by someone out of her line of vision. She glanced around again at all of the smiling staring whispering faces and abruptly she looked up. All she could make out was a yellow and black blur escaping the overhanging second floor.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After the slight shock Daisuke began chewing on what was left of his thumb nail.

"Well?"

Daisuke nearly jumped out of his skin. "Don't do that!" He swatted at Toshiya.

"Go ask her to sign the book."

"…I can't…."

Toshiya gawked at him. "You're kidding! After watching you bounce around for two weeks talking about getting that woman's autograph! You better take your spiky read haired ass over there and get it!"

Shinya hid his smile behind a gloved hand.

"I'm too nervous!" Daisuke turned around to face the refreshment table. "I can't do it."

Toshiya smacked him in the back of the head.

Shinya turned back to the couple being bombarded in the entry way and radioed for more security before walking over to escort them personally.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dimitre, please follow me," Shinya said calmly amidst the chaos of press. The two were escorted to a more secluded area of the gallery before Shinya turned to address "Mr. Dimitre".

"I'm very pleased you could make it Aleksis," Shinya smiled. Skyler simply looked back and forth between the two.

"You know each other," she questioned in Japanese.

"Oh, yes," Natasha or "Aleksis" smiled, "we go way back." Her voice was softer around Shinya, more feminine and less guarded. "When you called I had no idea what to think."

Shinya glanced at Skyler and tried to hold in his laughter. "I can imagine," he said.

Aleksis turned to Skyler, "I wanted to bring you to the opening but even I couldn't get tickets. That's when Shinya called and asked me if I wanted to go."

Skyler squeezed Aleksis's hand and smiled up at him.

"I knew how badly you wanted to come," he said as he looked down at her. Skyler turned to Shinya and bowed.

"Domo arigato gozaimasu! I was dying to see Kyo's new work." She gestured to the paintings. "I really wanted to meet him and I know that this is his first public appearance in the ten years that he's been painting. That's why I decided to make it mine as well."

Shinya held up a hand. "There's no need to thank me. I actually did this with ulterior motives." Skyler raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping you would give my friend an autograph. He's a huge fan of yours."

Skyler's face lit up. "A fan? Wow, he'll be my first live autograph."

"Rie-kun, can you tell Daisuke I need his help, it's important," Shinya spoke into his radio.

"Hai," the man answered back.

Aleksis kissed Skyler's hand and whispered "ham" before unlacing their fingers. "Give me one minute love," he said.

Skyler nodded and Aleksis took Shinya aside a few paces to speak.

Skyler turned around to look at the paintings and slowly began to wander off. She glanced back at Aleksis but he had his back to her, laughing with Shinya. She took a deep breath and wandered farther towards the back of the gallery. There were more paintings tempting her and the guests hadn't wandered in to the rear rooms yet. The music from the main gallery grew fainter until only the whispers of a slow jazz song could be heard.

The gallery was like a maze as she wandered and soon she came to a large nearly empty room in the very back of the gallery. In the middle of the room hung one massive painting and her jaw dropped open when she recognized the motif. It was a painting of the two main characters in her latest novel.

There, covered in blood, hunched a wailing geisha clutching the headless corps of her lover. The sword she'd used to complete the seppuku was still clutched in her hand and her silk kimono had fallen off her shoulders to reveal the smeared white body paint. The brownness of her skin had condemned them both, and there was nothing but the honor of a good death left for him.

What struck her was not the fact that her favorite painter had painted the final scene of her book, but the way in which he'd captured it. It was the brilliant blues and reds of the designs on her kimono, and the deep red of her lover's blood that held her attention. The detail of the clothes made them seem real enough to touch, and the smear of the body paint made her look ghostly. The white paint was stained red on her hands and her face….

'Her face…,' Skyler thought. It was _her_ face, Skyler's face. It was her face from the magazine shot she'd taken dressed as a geisha. She'd been painted completely white for the picture and as soon as the magazine hit the stores rumors began flying about her ethnicity. Everyone believed she was Japanese, as her eyes were inherently almond shaped and her skin so pale. The geisha's expression in the painting was different though. Her eyes were wide and wet as her mouth hung open. Madness. That was the first word that came to mind when one looked at her face. She'd been driven mad. Her lover's blood smeared across her cheek as she bent to hold the headless body to her breast.

And then Skyler noticed something strange. In the novel there had been no witnesses to the couples last moments, yet in the painting there were. The onlookers were disguised by shadows painted in a brown so dark it almost blended with the rest of the blackened canvas. She'd almost missed them as she stood directly in front of the large painting and she took a steep back.

It was their eyes. The witness's eyes were painted a shade lighter than their bodies, which seemed dirty somehow. They were dirty, covered in coal…or soot, she imagined. They were detailed yet they all blurred together like a menacing shroud.

She looked back at the geisha and her headless lover and they too seemed strange to her now. They seemed slightly clean. There was the expected dreck of body paint, blood, and earth from where she knelt and where his lower half met the ground but, there were large areas of the man's uwagi left unmarred. There were wide patches left remarkably unblemished and ghostly white.

The geisha's clothes were immaculate as well. The red blue and green dragons that danced about the hem on her shoulders were still bright and laughing as the smeared blood and paint only managed to stain one or two of them.

Skyler took another step back.

"I painted that about a month ago," a quiet voice startled her out of her thoughts.

Her whole body shook for a moment from the shock and she heard the click of a metal lighter. She took a deep breath. How long had someone been standing there? Had she been speaking out loud? Normal people don't talk to themselves out loud.

"It's…beautiful. I'd actually thought of adding an audience but…." She took another few steps back to look directly at him. There, leaning against the far side of the pillar, with one black Dock Martin resting behind him on the wall, was a short blond man smoking a cigarette.

'He must have been on the other side of the pillar when I came in,' she thought. Then she immediately memorized him. Small light honey eyes, 'contacts', she thought, 'he may wear glasses.' His nose was perfect, like a doll's but flesh. His face was a neat oval and his jaw slightly jowly. His lips were full and pink as he squinted one eye and took a drag on his cigarette. His bottom lip was pierced on the right side and his nose was pierced on the left, while his golden blond hair was swept and flipped to the side so that it covered nearly half his face. He wore plain black jeans with a long silver chain connecting his wallet to a belt loop. His shirt was a plain black cotton button down with a blood red tie around his neck. The tie was covered in little black skull heads and crosses, and Skyler decided she liked it. It suited his hard features and eccentric painting style. Then, as his arm rose to take another drag she caught sight of his hand. 'Tattoos on his fingers,' she lifted an eyebrow, 'I like that.' His nails were painted black and looked manicured. His long sculpted fingers brought her eyes to the thick silver skull ring on his right pointer finger. Each digit was smooth and unmarred, save for the tattoos. They were like peach cream pored over bone, the knuckle becoming a welcome texture.

Everything about the slight man was hard, save for those soft soft hands. Against his face they seemed almost vein. He felt weighty to her, like he would fall to the floor and be grounded there, unmovable, like stone. Suddenly Skyler felt heavy too, and she longed to be anywhere but in this room with this heavy smoking man.

Kyo ignored her appraisal in light of his own. She was extremely well groomed and her short locks curled wildly to frame her face. He noted her height and almost frowned but on a second glance noticed her heals. 'About two inches,' he thought. That's what she had on him. When honest he didn't like women much taller than himself, though his ego would never let him admit it aloud.

Only his eyes moved as he examined her. She wore long white silk pants with a tight white bodice adorned with lace and what looked like real crystals. The stark whiteness of the material contrasted nicely with the rich chocolate of her skin. The embroidery was beautiful and her white silk sleeves barely covered the tops of her shoulders, leaving visible her long neck and substantial cleavage. Kyo took another drag at that thought and looked over her face. Many of their features seemed the same. Her eyes were the same almond shape as his, not quite Asian, but close. They seemed more catlike than Asian. They had the same plump lips, and her nose was the same as well only a little wider. Though definite, her features seemed soft, small, doll like. He imagined her made of porcelain, sitting on the shelf of some high priced department store while children reached for her and parents groaned at her price.

'A trophy wife perhaps,' Kyo thought. 'The perfect gift for the man who has everything.' On his second visual pass his mind came again and again to her eyes. He'd never seen eyes so dark, like the dilated pupils of a cat, they were pure obsidian. It was unnatural and spooky even to him. 'Beautiful,' he thought.

The two of them stood in silence staring at each other until Skyler looked away. She looked back up at the painting and spoke softly.

"You read my book?"

"No," Kyo took a drag and Skyler met his eyes again. There was silence for almost a minute as they stared at each other.

"Daisuke read it cover to cover about two months ago and he hasn't shut up about it since." Kyo suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose. "I might as well have read it. He's told me every detail of the story twice in the past few weeks."

Skyler smiled at the thought of her first autographee following Kyo around pointing out passages on every page if her book. She had just opened her mouth to comment on that thought when they heard Aleksis calling out for her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So…have your boobs grown at all," Shinya snickered quietly behind his hand.

Aleksis punched him in the arm. "You'll never know," he mumbled just as Daisuke came to stand beside him.

Shinya turned. "Ah, Aleksis Dimitre, this is Andouhara Daisuke, your wife's biggest fan."

Daisuke winced slightly at the word wife but took the offered hand and shook it firmly. Somewhere in his mind it made since that the more he disliked someone the bigger the smile he should paste on. Aleksis and Shinya exchanged questioning glances and Shinya shrugged slightly. Aleksis smiled pleasantly and turned around, the smile falling instantly from his face.

"Skyler?" Aleksis was instantly frantic. "Skyler," he said louder. His voice became a loud baritone and he broke out in to a jog before Shinya or Daisuke had registered the movement.

"Aleksis, what's wrong," Shinya called after the distressed man. He was ignored as Aleksis kept calling Skyler's name.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kyo and Skyler both turned at the sound of Aleksis's voice and Kyo threw down his cigarette. He quickly stomped it out and stepped forward to reach for her. His fingers curled gently behind her elbow and she nearly jumped at the touch. Their eyes met and the decision to flee was made in an instant. There were no words exchanged as Kyo slid his hand down her forearm to lace their fingers together, and the room was empty when Shinya Aleksis and Daisuke entered.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A.N. Well, that ends chapter one. Let me know what you think. Oh, and by the way. I wasn't sure if I wanted to say this flat out or explain it in the next chapter but, I think I'll just tell you so I don't get people scratching their heads and e-mailing me the same question over and over. Aleksis Dimitre is a woman named Natasha. She is all woman, born and bred, but she lives her life as a man. You'll find out why as her character develops in later chapters. Until next time! Ja mate: )


	2. Chapter 2

**Story**: Knots of Gray

**Genre:** Dir en Grey, AU

**Chapter:** 2. The Ladies Taken

**Author:** The Last Kitten

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Dir en Grey and I don't personally know any of its members. I am not making any money off this fic, though I sincerely wish I were. I can't even afford to buy new socks. (Sad but entirely true.)

**Author's Note:** Apologies in advance for any oc'ness of the Dir en Grey members. I took what I saw of their personalities and pushed them to the extreme. This is what I imagine them being like in a parallel universe, if the events I put in had taken place. P.S. If you're in need of any Japanese to English translations just review the fic and ask.

"Lalala**"** Means **talking**.

'Lalala**'** Means **thinking**.

oooooooooo Means a scene change.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He'd completely forgotten the season when their fingers touched.

Instinct had called for seclusion and since childhood, whenever he felt the need for solitude, he went to the roof of whatever house or building he happened to be in. The heights calmed him, made him feel tall, inside. The roof touched the sky, and sat high above all the petty cruelties of his home.

Now they were standing on the roof of the exhibition building staring at the door. Their breath came out in visible puffs, and Skyler rubbed her hands up and down her silk covered arms as she turned to walk farther out on to the dark roof. Kyo stared at the door a moment longer before crossing his arms over his chest and following her.

The signs of Tokyo's nightlife provided enough light for them to make their way to the edge of the building, and neither of them spoke for a long time. They simply stood together…in silence.

Then a lighter could be heard and smoke filled the air.

"So…," Kyo sighed.

"So…."

"So…how long are you going to be in Japan?"

Skyler spoke softly as she sat down on the raised ledge. "I live here." Her movements were slow and delicate as she crossed her arms and legs simultaneously.

'Methodical,' Kyo thought as he shifted his eyes to watch her.

"I'd never leave if it weren't for…," she stopped herself and blinked up at him. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and she turned to stare at the roof door.

Kyo lifted an eyebrow. "I thought you lived in Russia with your husb…."

"Kuso," Skyler whispered.

"What?"

"I have to go." She stood and glanced between Kyo and the roof exit. "I made Aleksis promise not to leave me alone and I…." She shook her head and began walking back towards the door.

"Will it really matter if you're missing for five more minutes," he asked not turning from the ledge.

Skyler stopped in mid step. '_Would_ it matter?' "But Aleksis is probably looking for me," she whispered to herself.

Kyo turned a little to see her profile and took another drag. "Come on…five minutes. I'll even time you." He half smiled and gestured at his watch.

Skyler took one last look at the door before slowly coming to stand next to him. "Its freezing out here you know."

Kyo just smirked and reached into his pocket to pull out a flask.

"Saki," Skyler asked.

"Whiskey," he replied.

She laughed a little as she unscrewed the top and took a long drink. When the burn in her chest began to spread through her limbs she smiled and handed it back to him.

Their fingers slid together briefly and neither one made mention of it. They stood in silence until Skyler sat again on the raised ledge. Kyo watched her for a moment, and then sat himself.

Neither of them spoke as they continued to stare at the Tokyo sky line. Kyo smoked his cigarette and Skyler slowly rubbed her hands up and down her arms for warmth.

Five minutes became ten, and as Kyo turned to her to speak the first snow of the season began to fall. The two looked around and then back to each other before sharing a quiet laughter.

'Wow, that's cliché,' they thought.

Again Kyo opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the roof door burst open.

Skyler immediately stood, and Shinya and Daisuke glanced nervously at each other behind Aleksis.

"Skyler what the hell are you doing on the roof? It's snowing for Christ's sake!"

She walked quickly to Aleksis and he met her in the middle of the roof. He quickly pulled off his leather coat and draped it around her shoulders. It swept the ground as he tried to warm her.

Shinya and Daisuke went quietly to stand beside Kyo, and Shinya began to take off his coat, but Kyo stopped him. He calmly took a puff on his cigarette and ignored the worried look Shinya gave him. "I'm fine," he whispered. "I'm a big boy."

Aleksis fussed and flitted around Skyler, rubbing her arms and shoulders. "Come on," he said with only a slight hint of anger in his voice. He reached one long arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards the roof door.

"I'm very sorry about all this," Shinya said on their way down the stairs.

"It's alright Terachi-kun, but I think we should be going. This has been more than enough excitement for one evening."

Skyler glanced back at Kyo and almost laughed when he smirked and winked at her. She leaned in to speak to Aleksis. "I haven't bought any paintings yet…and I haven't singed Andohara-kun's autograph."

Aleksis picked up their walking pace but made no comment. Skyler stopped walking and took hold of his hand when they were once again in the back room of the gallery.

"Aleksis," she whispered. "I'm sorry about wondering off but…"

Aleksis glanced angrily at Kyo and spoke harshly in Russian. "You didn't just wander off, you disappeared. You fucking disappeared…for fifteen minutes. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Skyler looked down, ashamed, but then met his eyes. She touched his cheek and spoke softly. "I'm sorry," he held tight to the hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry sweetie...but it's my birthday and I really want a painting."

Kyo took one last drag on his cigarette and threw it on the floor, roughly twisting his foot to put it out. Shinya frowned at him but remained silent.

"No more than three," Aleksis said after a deep breath. "We're running out of walls to put them on."

Skyler smiled softly and walked over to the painting of her novel's protagonists. "How much is this one," she asked.

"Oh, the prices are…"Shinya spoke up, but Kyo cut him off.

"That one's not for sale," Kyo said from behind him. He didn't bother looking at her as he lit up another cigarette and crossed his arms over his chest.

Skyler frowned slightly. "Are you sure? It's my favorite…."

"How do you know? You weren't even in the gallery five minutes before our little…tryst," Kyo cut in with another smirk.

Shinya saw Aleksis's eyes flash death at Kyo and put a hand on Daisuke's shoulder to urge him back.

"Kyo," a loud deep voice came from behind them all. "Why don't you just show _Mrs._ Dimitre around the gallery so she can see exactly what _is_ for sale?"

Kyo looked directly at Aleksis when he spoke. "Good idea Kao-chan." He took one more long drag on his cigarette and stamped it out, blowing out the smoke as he passed Aleksis.

"_Mrs._ Dimitre," he said as he extended his arm for her to take.

Skyler looked back and forth between Kyo and Aleksis and decided not to speak. She slid out of Aleksis's coat and pecked him lightly on the lips as she returned it to him. When she turned Aleksis caught her arm and squeezed. "You have fifteen minutes," he whispered in Russian and she winced slightly. "Find a goddamn painting and let's go." He kissed her cheek lightly and turned back to Shinya and Daisuke.

No one missed her wince, and only Shinya's steady hand kept Daisuke still. Aleksis smiled tightly at Shinya and called a waiter over for a drink.

As soon as Kyo and Skyler entered the main gallery they were surrounded by paparazzi. The flashes had absolutely no effect on Kyo, who coolly nodded and did his trademark smirk for the cameras.

Skyler on the other hand had that same plastic smile glued to her face. She nodded and bowed but soon began squeezing his arm.

Kyo glanced at her and a thought popped into his head. He leaned over and whispered, "Just picture them all naked."

Skyler stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. The paparazzi doubled their efforts, and when Kyo began snickering, Shinya patted Daisuke's shoulder.

"I think you should go ask for that autograph now."

"Honto? But what about all the cameras?"

"It'll be fine," he smiled. "Go on."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Natasha sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. The brandy in her glass swished as she took a sip, and the bright morning light shown through the balcony to make a rainbow on the table as she sat it down. At eight o'clock in the morning, the newspaper was still sitting unopened on the living room table. She couldn't bring herself to open it. The picture on the front page held her eyes, and the brandy held her tongue.

The picture on the front page of The Japan Times was an enormous shot of Kyo and Skyler, arm in arm, laughing hysterically at a whispered joke. Natasha looked at the picture again and frowned. Skyler's laughter hadn't been forced. It was genuine, real, authentic, true, present, and a host of other words that all mean the same thing. That man made her laugh. Even after ten years Skyler rarely laughed. She smiled, smirked, and even chuckled sometimes, but _laugh_? Her laughter was reserved for South Park, Bernie Mac, and Presidential elections. It was rare for her to laugh at _anyone's_ jokes and even rarer for her to laugh out loud in public.

Natasha looked around the room and sighed when her eyes fell on their silver framed black and white wedding photo. Her smiles and laughter hadn't been forced that day either. Their wedding had been one of the biggest, untelevised, events in Russian history. Dignitaries and businessmen from all over the world had begged to be invited, but one look in Skyler's eyes told Natasha that she didn't want the shadow of politics to cloud their day.

In the end they only invited fifty of their closest friends and family. The wedding was small and intimate, the exact opposite of what Natasha wanted, but every time she looked at their wedding photos she knew it was the right choice.

Her frown lifted and she took a deep drink just as Skyler came in the front door. She smiled brightly at Natasha, breathing hard and covered in sweat. Slipping off her running shoes and placing them neatly in the row near the door, she rested her hands on her lower back and stretched.

"Hay," Natasha said, sitting her drink down. "How was your run?"

"It was crazy," she laughed. "I had to run an extra two miles, hop three chain link fences, and scale a wall to get away from all the paparazzi."

Natasha raised an eyebrow in concern. "What?"

"I was just running past the Imperial Palace when about thirty photographers came out of nowhere!" She dropped tiredly onto the couch in front of Natasha. "They chased me for almost two miles!" She couldn't control her laughter and shook her head. "It was just…crazy!"

Natasha frowned slightly at her words, but her real concern was Skyler's laughter. It was such a rare thing that she decided not to break her mood. She stood and went to get her a bottle of water from the kitchen.

"I was afraid this would happen," Natasha said wearily.

"It's alright sweetie. I knew it would happen eventually." Natasha came to kneel in front of her and Skyler lowered her eyes. "I can't hide from the world forever," she said with a sad smile.

Natasha kissed her hands and pressed them to her cheek as she laid her head in Skyler's lap. Skyler bent to kiss the top of her head and Natasha snaked her arms around her waist holding on tightly.

"Sky…?"

"Hmm?"

"You'd never…leave me…would you?" Natasha buried her face in Skyler's shirt.

"I love you Natasha…and what we have is forever." She stroked her hair. "Forever…you're stuck with me forever, sorry," Skyler smiled.

Natasha wanted to believe her, and part of her did. But when she'd disappeared with Kyo yesterday that belief had been shaken. Then there was the picture in the paper…and her face as she smiled at him.

Natasha held on tighter.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The phone only rang once before he picked it up.

"Moshi moshi."

"Judging by the photo in this morning's paper I'd say things are going well."

"They disappeared together for almost twenty minutes. Aleksis was furious." The man's voice was strained and tired.

"We may have hit the jackpot with this one," the other man said, apathetic and monotone.

"I don't like using Kyo like this. We should have left him out of it, he doesn't deserve this."

"Oh, now why the concern? That man is little more than a toy to you."

"He's not a toy…."

"Regardless, it's done. Arrange the next meeting."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The room seemed to tilt in slow motion as his glasses flew off his face, and the canvas he'd been holding appeared suspended in mid air. His head made an audible thud when it hit the floor, and Matsu winced.

"Do you have any idea who that was last night," Kaoru shouted. "Do you have any idea whose wife that was?"

Kyo didn't move to get up off the floor, and he absently noted the blood coming from his nose. The clock on the wall read eight o'clock am, even with the numbers fuzzy and moving. He almost laughed. His head already throbbed from a hangover, but now it hurt so badly it seemed easier to just lay there.

"Yamete, Kao-kun," Daisuke shouted as he ran over to crouch next to Kyo.

"What did you say," Kaoru raised his hand to strike the man but Shinya caught him by the wrist.

"That's enough," he said calmly. "What's done is done and he's not going to see her again. So it doesn't really matter." Kaoru yanked his hand back. "The show was a success and that picture in the paper has already doubled his popularity. There are dozens of paparazzi still outside the gallery right now."

"That's all well and good but…what if Aleksis Dimitre decides to blacklist him or something," Matsu asked worriedly.

"He won't! Sora-chan wouldn't let him do that," Daisuke said annoyed and angry. He helped Kyo slowly sit up and reached for the box of tissues Toshiya held out. He silently prayed that none of the paparazzi had managed to sneak in to the gallery. It would be a tabloid frenzy if a shot of the famous artist, being beaten up by his art dealer, got out.

"You're on a first name basis with her already?" Shinya raised an eyebrow and Daisuke grinned.

"I am too," Kyo smirked.

"Why you little…" Kaoru lunged at Kyo but Shinya Toshiya and Matsu grabbed hold of him.

"Oniisan, will you get him the hell out of here," Toshiya yelled while struggling with Kaoru's arm.

Daisuke helped Kyo up and they quickly left the room.

When they were sure Kaoru wouldn't snap and go after the two, they let him go, slowly. He rolled his head to loosen up his neck and pulled out a cigarette.

"That little…baka…," the string of curses that came out of his mouth made even Shinya's jaw drop. "He has no idea what he's doing! Not a fucking clue!"

Kaoru put his palms over his eyes and sat down on the couch near the window.

"Ugh, I don't want to sound dumb or anything but who is Aleksis Dimitre anyway," Toshiya questioned.

Kaoru looked up at him and scoffed. "Matsu, you should go," he said quietly.

"Gladly," she exhaled. She quickly pittered over to him and dropped a kiss on his bowed head. "Call me later. Ja." She waved as she slipped out the door.

"I'll explain this in as few words as possible because I have a headache." Kaoru sat back on the couch and lit his cigarette. "Aleksis Dimitre is a businessman, a very, very, _very_ rich businessman. It's been estimated that, over the last twenty years, he's acquired weighty shares in over one-third of the major transport companies in the world; inadvertently giving him more political pull than you can possibly imagine." He stopped to take a puff and laughed grimly. "He was actually offered the Russian presidency, but people say he turned it down because he had more power as a businessman."

Toshiya looked dumbfounded and Shinya looked disinterested.

"What's worse is the official reason he declined the presidency."

That caught Shinya's attention. "I remember reading about that," he said.

Toshiya looked back and forth between the two. "Well, what did he say?"

"Aleksis Dimitre's official statement about the decline of his presidential nomination was that he had almost no privacy as a businessman, and being president would afford him even less. He said that he wanted to protect his _wife_ and his future family from the harshness of politics and the media." Kaoru shook his head. "In the seven years they've been married, no one has ever been able to get close to his wife. Even when they let it slip that she was the famed Drako Sky, no one could get close to her. She's never done a single interview, book signing, or anything public. Hell, before the art exhibition last night, they'd never even been seen _together_." Kaoru took a drag. "He's seemed hell-bent on keeping her to himself for the last seven years. And if he was telling the truth, that would mean he gave up the presidency of his country for that woman. Can you imagine what a man like that might do if he felt threatened?"

Toshiya ran a hand through his hair. "It's probably nothing for a guy like that to blacklist Kyo…or even have him killed."

"Wakaru, you were trying to protect Kyo," Shinya nodded.

"Hai. Like I said, he has no idea what he's getting himself into," Kaoru grimaced.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So he's a rich businessman. I don't give a fuck who he _thinks_ he is." Kyo looked out over the city from the ledge of the roof. He took a long pull on his cigarette and smirked back at Daisuke. "She seemed more interested in me anyway."

"This is serious Kyo. I remember Shinya telling me something about him once…"

"Oh you mean while you two were snuggling in the afterglow of…"

"That is nowhere near funny," Daisuke blushed furiously. "You know I have a girlfriend! She would kill us both if she heard you talking like that!"

"Awww," Kyo pinched his cheek. "But you two would make such a cute couple."

"Yamete!" Daisuke was now completely red faced.

Kyo chuckled lightly but then turned serious. "Daisuke…you should tell him."

"Nani?" He looked out at Tokyo. "Tell him what?"

Kyo just looked at him and took another puff. Then he turned away to watch the cars stuck in traffic below them. "Have you ever heard the saying 'I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I'm not'?"

"Wakaranai, Kyo-chan. I love BoA." Daisuke reached into his coat pocket to pull out a cigarette of his own. He lit it and sat down on the snow covered ledge.

"Is it because of your father? Is that why you won't tell him? You're afraid he'll do something to him?"

"I…"

"What's that about Andohara-sama," Shinya said walking up behind them. Daisuke put on his sunglasses to hide his flustered eyes and turned to face him. Kyo rested his chin on one hand and continued smoking with the other.

"We were just…saying that…," Daisuke struggled for a lie.

"Nothing," Kyo saved him. "What time is it Shin Shin?"

"It's about eight-thirty, still too early for lunch."

"But not too early for a drink," Kyo said merely, flicking his cigarette off the roof.

"Mate, Kyo-kun. Kaoru wanted me to tell you that he's sorry, and that we're all having lunch together today. A new restaurant just opened downtown and they called begging him to bring you to eat there. They need publicity, and the Chef's daughter is a big fan of your work."

"What kind of food do they serve," Kyo asked.

"It's a very upscale traditional Japanese restaurant. The motif is traditional Japanese palaces. I hear it has sliding paper doors and everything."

"Humm…sounds stuffy," Kyo quipped, pulling out another cigarette.

"I've no doubt," Shinya replied, "but Kaoru wants us to go."

"Yea, yea," Kyo's cigarette bobbed between his lips as he spoke, and he crossed his arms.

"Daisuke, could you tell Kaoru that we'll be down in a minute to finish up in the gallery," Shinya asked in a low voice.

"Hai." Daisuke only hesitated for a moment, and when he was gone Shinya continued.

"Kyo, you don't know this but I know Aleksis Dimitre, personally. He taught a class at my college once and we became…friends."

Kyo froze just as his thumb touched the ignition on his lighter, and he stared at Shinya with wide eyes. He knew what Shinya meant by "_friends_".

"When I graduated I went to work for him." Shinya slowly made his way around the roof as he spoke. "It was nice. I'd always wanted to travel and see the world. I'd told him that years before, and when he hired me it was because he'd remembered. He made me his personal secretary and I jet set all around the world with him. The pay was great and the…benefits were exceptional." He stopped speaking for a moment.

"Why are you telling me this Shin-chan," Kyo asked worriedly.

"Because I want you to understand who you're dealing with. Aleksis Dimitre is a dangerous man." He took a breath. "On the rare occasion that he actually cares about someone, he will bring hell itself down on the person who threatens them." Shinya stopped walking and turned to look directly into Kyo's eyes. "Have you ever heard of Adelbert Bergen?"

"Iya."

"He was a German businessman Aleksis had dealings with about nine years ago. One day, after a meeting, Aleksis and Adelbert were joking and carrying on while his secretary and I compared notes. Then Adelbert said, 'Why does a fine upstanding businessman, like yourself, have some skinny _chinc_ as his secretary?'"

Kyo's mouth dropped open.

"They'd been using English as a common language so I understood what he said."

Shinya took a deep breath and continued. "In all my travels I'd never been referred to with a racial epitaph." His eyes became anxious. "Aleksis's face is what I remember the most about that day though; he was livid. It was the same face he had watching you flirt with Dimitre-san. Now, I'm not afraid of much in this world, but that face…."

"What did he do," Kyo asked calm and unfazed.

Shinya looked at him slightly annoyed. "First his face went completely blank. Then he stood up and said 'I think we should go'. Adelbert and his secretary just sat there laughing. I was upset that Aleksis hadn't defended me and I gave him the cold shoulder for the next couple of days. Then one morning, about a week later, I was watching the news and there was a special report about Adelbert Bergen and his family going missing. The report said that his wife, three kids, secretary, and his secretary's family had all gone missing…but…." Shinya's eyes were wide and unfocused. "Later the reporter said that the police were still searching Adelbert's house for all the missing pieces of his body."

Kyo stared at Shinya expectantly, and finally lit up his cigarette. Shinya pinched the bridge of his nose and began pacing again.

"Funny thing was that there was no blood found that belonged to his family or his secretary's family. They were all just gone. I never asked Aleksis what happened to them, and he just smiled at me over dinner that night. It wasn't long after that that I left him to work for Andohara-sama. He may be Yakuza but at least he's sane." Kyo narrowed his eyes briefly at that statement, but stayed silent. "Aleksis and I don't talk much anymore but we still keep in touch." Shinya paused to look at Kyo again. "Kyo, you're my friend. That's why I'm telling you this. He's dangerous, which makes her twice as dangerous. For you and the people you lo…care about, you have to stay away from Skyler Dimitre. If he loved her enough to actually marry her then I know he wouldn't hesitate to kill you if he feels threatened. He's very feral with the people he loves."

Kyo raked a hand threw his hair and let out a deep breath. He turned back to the horizon to gather his thoughts. "I know I should stay away from her…she's another man's _wife_." He sat down on the raised ledge. "But…just being near her…and those eyes…."

"Kyo I'm serious," Shinya yelled, a rare thing, and Kyo looked back sharply. "He'll kill you! Do you understand!? He. Will. Kill. You. Swear to me that you will stay as far away from her as possible."

"I…."

"Swear it!"

"Scouts honor," Kyo jokingly held up three fingers, but he couldn't meet Shinya's eyes.

Shinya rubbed tiredly at his eyes and laid a hand on Kyo's shoulder. "We all love you Kyo, even Kaoru. Even though he doesn't act like it sometimes, he does. We're all just trying to protect you."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Shinya checked his watch. "It's about nine. They're probably wondering where the hell we are. Let's go finish up."

Kyo stood to follow Shinya to the roof door, but stopped halfway. "Hay, Shin Shin...do you have any…you know…." He scratched the back of his neck anxiously.

Shinya turned to him and smiled. "I was saving that for the party tonight."

"Aw, come on Shin Shin. This headache is never gonna go away. Give me a taste and we can save the rest for the party."

"Alright," Shinya chuckled, "one line each. That's it."

Kyo bounced up and down as they went down the stairs.

"I'm serious Kyo. Last time you cleaned me out before we even got to the party, and I only got three lines and a bump. I brought enough to kill an elephant this time, and we are going to share it. I thought Kaoru was going to kill us for doing his share."

As they reached the studio door Kyo laughed. "Yea yea…share the blow. What's the name of the restaurant?"

"I think it was Midori Nihon."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hay Sky," Natasha called.

"Dammnit! Why won't this loc stay down!?" Skyler fought with her hair. "What was that?"

"A restaurant called my secretary and begged us to come to lunch…no doubt for the publicity. Do you want to go?"

"What type of food do they have?"

"She didn't say."

"Well what was it called?" Skyler poked her head out of the bathroom.

"She said," Natasha looked over the message again. "Midori Nihon."

"Sounds good."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dun! Dun! Dun! Chapter two endith here! Tune in next time for chapter three! Muhuwahahah P.S. The quote that Kyo told Daisuke was one that I found on the internet somewhere. I think it fit the situation nicely. Oh and don't forget to click that little review button down there. Please…Onegai…PLEASE! Ahem…I'm ok. I'm ok. If you have questions or comments the only way I'll know about them is if you review. Ja!


	3. Chapter 3

**Story**: Knots of Gray

**Chapter:** 3. Powder Lunch

**Author:** The Last Kitten

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any rights to Dir en Grey and I don't personally know any of its members. I'm not making any money off this fic…trust me. Tear

**AN:** If Kaoru and Kyo's real last names are wrong I apologize profusely. I must have read about them on twenty different web sites, excluding their official site because the characters and stuff wouldn't show up on my computer. I saw their real names spelled about ten different ways so I eventually just picked one. Again I apologize to Kao-kun and Kyo-kun if they're spelled wrong, and I hope you can overlook that small detail. Gomen.

**Author's Note:**

"Dude!" Means talking.

'Duuuude!' Means **thinking**.

Ooooooooooooooo Means a scene change.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Konichiwa, Mr. and Mrs. Dimitre. I'm so pleased that you selected to dine at our humble establishment."

Camera bulbs flashed furiously as a tall lean man bowed at the waist. Aleksis and Skyler stood in front of their sleek black limo, flanked by three enormous gun-wielding bodyguards. The stylishly seasoned man in front of them was instantly imprinted in Skyler's mind, and she was only slightly put off by his stale businessman demeanor. "We've prepared one of our two VIP dining rooms for you, and today we have an excellent menu of specially selected dishes in your honor," he brownnosed.

Skyler barely listened as the man prattled on about the menu. The breeze was picking up, and she pulled her fitted charcoal colored leather coat closer. Her eyes wandered to the dozens of photographers still snapping pictures, as Aleksis and the stuffy man shook hands and chatted. The limo pulled off behind them, and as she turned to watch, time began to lag.

Every building, car, license plate, streetlight, street sign, and human face in sight began to form and stick in her mind.

Suddenly, there was a huge gust of wind and the photo was interrupted. Skyler blinked confusedly and shook her head. That had never happened before. Her photographic memory was automatic and nothing had ever interrupted it.

The tiny mistral had come from the same direction they'd driven to the restaurant, and Skyler turned her face into the wind. The breeze was crisp and cold, like an early winter morning. But it was noon now, and the sun was high in the sky, having already melted last night's sprinkling of snow. The crispness of the air was notably strange to her as she looked around again, watching the visible exhaust of Tokyo's lunch time traffic.

"Baloven," Aleksis broke in to her thoughts putting an arm around her shoulders.

Skyler took one last look back and just caught sight of another black limo pulling up to the restaurant as they walked through the front door.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Damn it Shinya! Why'd you give him that shit right before we went out in public," Kaoru shouted.

Shinya and Kyo looked at each other and began snickering. Shinya barely hid his laughter behind his hand, and turned to look out of the tinted window. Kyo rested his head on Daisuke's shoulder and ignored his concerned stare.

"Oh come on Kao-chan, we'll behave…I promise," Kyo grinned. He extended his leg and nudged the inside of Kaoru's thigh.

Toshiya and Kaoru were seated, facing Daisuke Kyo and Shinya, in the adjacent leather limo seats. Toshiya also attempted to hide his laughter and looked out the window. He knew they were in for a hell of a weekend if Kyo and Shinya were already flying at noon on a Friday. Lunch would be a complete spectacle, and Kaoru would probably end up trying to strangle the two.

Shinya wasn't so bad when he was high, it was alcohol that one wanted to steer him away from. When high, the normally stoic man would open up and hold deep, all be it nonsensical, conversations; a real treat for Daisuke. One could ask him anything and he would almost always give an answer. But sometimes, even dancing with the white lady, Shinya could be hard to probe for answers to personal questions.

Kyo, on the other hand, became more unpredictable, moody, and potentially dangerous than normal when he flew. They all knew the man's skill, greatly needed in their…other line of work. In the domestic setting, one would be wise to steer clear of his temper when he was under the influence. Toshiya recalled a time when they'd all nearly been arrested because of one of Kyo's night club brawls. The man had been damn near a foot taller than him, but Kyo took the giant down with the first blow and continued kicking him until the cops pulled their guns on him. No one had been able to restrain the slight man as he kicked in the man's teeth and ribs.

When the girl he'd been fighting over called him crazy, he smacked her in the face and continued kicking the stout man until the cops arrived.

Only Kyo had been arrested that night, as he insisted Kaoru Shinya and Toshiya hadn't been involved, a sober moment in his drug induced rage. Luckily, Andohara-sama had been blackmailing the judge at the time and got the charges dropped. He threatened the battered man and paid both him and the girl off. They had narrowly escaped that time and Toshiya was glad, for a moment, that his father was Yakuza.

Toshiya snapped back to attention when Kaoru slapped Kyo's foot away from his crotch.

"You better fucking behave yourself Kyo. People are going to start recognizing you now. You can't act like a jack ass in public anymore…it's bad for business," Kaoru complained loudly.

Kyo chuckled to himself and poked Shinya in the side, but Shinya just snickered louder and kept his face turned away. Kaoru shook his head as the driver opened the door for them to step out in to the cold autumn air and bright camera flashes.

The weather had been unusually cold this year. It was barely October and it was already snowing. The five men shivered slightly as the lanky adulate restaurant owner approached them.

"Konichiwa, Mr. Niikura, Mr. Nishimura, Mr. Terachi, and Mr. and Mr. Andouhara. I'm so pleased that you've selected to dine at our humble establishment. My name is Hana Chairoi and…."

Kyo suddenly burst into laughter and Shinya turned around to hide his face.

"Um…," the stuffy man continued. "We've prepared one of our two VIP dining rooms for you, and today we have an excellent menu of specially selected dishes in your honor."

Eventually Kyo's laughter settled into a barely controlled chuckling, and he tuned the man out as he blatantly continued kissing Kaoru's ass. The air had grown deathly still as they stepped out of the limo, but now it was picking up again. Kyo shivered as a particularly strong gust of wind blew open the doors of the restaurant.

The gale nearly knocked him over and he held on to Shinya for support, but the photographers weren't so lucky. Cameras went flying, along with several of the men attached to them, when the gust hit.

"Please, come inside," Chairoi called as politely as possible over the howling wind. "The room has already been prepared."

Kaoru nodded and the group quickly followed the man inside.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Inside the men followed a tiny woman dressed as a geisha toward the back of the large restaurant.

The main dining area of the Midori Nihon was set up in the usual way, with individual tables and booths, but the decor was embellished with traditional Japanese art. Each table had its own individual mini stone lantern as a center piece, and some tables were sectioned off by Bamboo folding screens decorated with pictures of Banzai trees, Kabuki Theater, famous Samurai, and even Sumo wrestlers. The dark mahogany floors were polished to a perfect shine, interspersed with ornate azure rugs splayed with lush white Sakura trees. The walls were adorned with crisp rice paper detailing masterful calligraphy, enhanced with smaller lights positioned on the floor. There were no windows, but there was a wide stage at the far end of the room for dinnertime entertainment.

Shirakawa Gunpachirō sang about a pair of fallen lovers over the speaker system, and the room was alive with gossiping whispers as they passed through.

Two large adjacent rooms, separated both from the main room and each other by way of a narrow hallway, served as the VIP rooms. Each one was huge and furnished more extravagantly than the main area.

There were several lavish silk cream and bamboo colored pillows surrounding a low set table as the Nishimura party entered their room. The floor underneath the long auburn table was covered with a deep emerald green rug, and the dining party stared in awe as they sat down.

"Neko and Inu will be your waitresses today…," Chairoi nodded at the two mock Geisha.

Again Kyo and Shinya began snickering, and Daisuke elbowed Kyo in the side lightly, trying to hide his own smile.

"If there is anything else I can do for you, please, do not hesitate to ask." Hana bowed and stepped out of the room, closing the sliding paper door in front of himself.

As soon as the door closed Shinya let out a bark of laughter, holding his side in pain. Daisuke and Toshiya also began laughing, and even Kaoru began chuckling. He outright laughed when he saw the two geisha with their hands over their mouths and eyes squeezed shut against the giddy air in the room. Kyo alone stood quiet, staring at the inordinate paintings surrounding them. Eventually the laughter faded as the group noticed the missing mirth.

"Kyo, what's wrong," Kaoru asked.

Kyo didn't answer, he merely wondered further away, down the wall.

"Kyo," Shinya asked worriedly, a moment later.

Kyo stood fixed, staring at the wall as if he hadn't heard them.

Calmly and quietly, Daisuke stood and walked over to Kyo. He touched his shoulder and the shorter man started, wide eyed.

"Kyo," Daisuke asked in a small voice. "You ok?"

Immediately Kyo's face broke into a smile.

"Yea. Why?"

Daisuke looked up at the wall. "Well you weren't talking and you were staring at the walls and we were…."

"I'm fine," Kyo cut in and looked back at the wall. Abruptly he turned away from it, pulling Daisuke with him back over to the long table. When they were all seated everyone quietly waited for some sign that the day hadn't been ruined, and finally Kyo sighed.

"Utsuku-chan told me the story of "The Robe of Feathers" when I was little…and I'll have the niku dongo, cabbage roles, and the grilled tuna." Kyo tossed the pre-placed menu back on the table with a smile, and laid back on one of the larger pillows.

Time seemed to speed back up to normal as soon as his head hit the pillow, and the group continued on as usual. Shinya and Kaoru began discussing a television appearance for Kyo, Toshiya flirted the telephone number out of the cat geisha, and Daisuke pretended not to sneak glances at Shinya while giving his order to the dog geisha.

Kyo sat quietly and stared at the painted wall upside down.

Although nowhere near the quality of his own work, the illustration was beautiful. The shape and white of the feather robe hanging on the pine tree, the wonder on Hairukoo's simply drawn face, and the classic beauty of the sea-maiden were intriguing to him.

He followed the story with his eyes and frowned as the maiden danced in her newly returned white feather coat.

She would leave him soon. She had tricked him into giving her the thing he coveted most in the world, and although she had kept her word, the thing he treasured most was now lost to him.

Kyo closed his eyes.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Keiniku and Gyūniku will be your waitresses today…," Chairoi nodded at the two Geisha.

Skyler looked down at her lap and discreetly hid her smile behind a well groomed hand. Aleksis shot a warning glance at her when she looked up.

"My name is Hana Chairoi…."

Skyler pretended to cough lightly and looked away again, trying hard to control her laughter. Aleksis squared his jaw and glanced at the wall to calm himself before nodding at the slightly seething man kneeling by the door.

"I am the owner and manager of this establishment," he said tightly. "If there is anything else I can do for you, please, do not hesitate to ask." Hana bowed and stepped out of the room closing the sliding paper door in front of himself.

As soon as the door closed Skyler let go of the bubble of laughter she'd been holding in.

"Is he serious," she asked the geisha. "Is that really his name?"

"Skyler," Aleksis half laughed, and the geisha began giggling.

"Oh come on Aleksis, his name is brown nose," she chuckled.

Aleksis shook his head, and began looking at the menu. Skyler glanced around the room and did the same.

Their room was decorated the same as the other, only the fairy tale mural was different.

"I'll have the sake marinated mushroom salad, the tonkatsu, and the shu mai," Aleksis said indifferently. Keiniku bowed, collected his menu, and shuffled over to the sliding door. As she stepped through, Skyler looked out across the hall at the closed door of the adjacent VIP room.

'I wonder who's in there.'

"I wonder if it's…," Skyler mumbled.

"Excuse me miss, are you ready to order," Gyūniku questioned quietly. Skyler looked away just as the second room's door opened and their door closed.

"Hai, sumimasen. I'll have the tofu donburi, the meat and potatoes korokke, and the cabbage roles. Argato Gyūniku-san."

Gyuniku looked surprised for a moment but quickly bowed to hide her smile. She shuffled over to the door and again it was opened as its twin was closed.

Aleksis took a moment to look around the room and nodded his approval. "This restaurant is very nice, even by my standards." He inclined his head towards the wall he was facing. "Do you know that story," he asked.

Skyler turned on her large pillow. "Yes, actually. The story is called "Kyūketsuki Neko"…"The Vampire Cat". It's a story about Ito Soda, a brave and loyal infantry man, who saves his Emperor from a monstrous shape shifting goblin cat." Skyler gestured menacingly and Aleksis smiled.

"A natural story teller," he chuckled. "Too bad your goblin cat looks like an angry kitten." Skyler stuck her tongue out at him just as his phone rang. "Dimitre," he answered in a deep voice. Skyler pouted and listened in for a moment, but Aleksis looked at her seriously and whispered to her while standing up. "I have to take this."

Skyler nodded and sat patiently.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kyo opened his eyes and sat up.

He rubbed slowly at the back of his neck and pulled out a cigarette. For a moment he watched the dance of the two VIP room doors opening and closing, but then stared down at his tea.

"Kyo, you can't smoke in here," Daisuke whispered across the table.

Kyo looked him right in the eye as he proceeded to flick his lighter open and hold it to his cigarette.

"What are they gonna do," he inhaled. "Kick me out."

Daisuke shook his head and Kyo looked at him seriously.

"What's wrong Kyo," Daisuke whispered.

Kyo rested his elbows further across the table as he leaned in to speak, and Daisuke listened quietly.

"I had a weird dream last night," he began, and took a drag. "I dreamt that I was Ito Soda…you know from that story. I forget what it's called."

"Kyūketsuki Neko," Daisuke nodded.

"Yea, that was it. Anyway, I was sitting in the palace watching the Emperor sleep, but…the Emperor wasn't the Emperor. He was…." Kyo stopped to take a puff and a glance at the rest of their distracted party. "The emperor was Sky-chan." Daisuke's eyebrows rose. "Funny thing was, the goblin cat was also Sky-chan."

Daisuke furrowed his eyebrows, "That is weird."

"Yea," Kyo replied. "And you know she has those eyes." He gave a mock shiver.

"Oh yea, I know," Daisuke said with an uncomfortable expression. They sat lost in thought for a moment before Daisuke stole Kyo's cigarette and took a puff. He choked on it when the door opened again, and Kyo began snickering.

"Will you be requiring anything else," Neko asked, coyly sneaking a glance at Toshiya.

Kaoru began speaking but Kyo gradually tuned him out as two more geisha slid open the second VIP room door.

Past Daisuke, past the two geisha at their door, and past the two geisha kneeling at the opposite door, he saw her. Curling locks, cat eyes, and all…every doll in the world wished it looked like her.

He stared unsure of how to react, and then she looked up.

There was no shock in her smile, only cheer, and Kyo thought he could see her small eyes sparkle even from where he sat in the next room.

It was his imagination of course, he knew, and when Aleksis wandered by the connection was broken.

Aleksis was in the middle of a heated conversation with someone on his cell, and Skyler's eyes followed him.

Suddenly, the doors began to close and Kyo watched her stand to follow him as his view was blocked.

He sat rigid for a full minute before Shinya's words reached his ears.

"Nani," he asked snapping to attention.

"I said are you ok," Shinya chuckled. "You were looking a little…."

Kyo coolly got to his feet and took a drag. "I'm going to the bar."

"What…why," Daisuke chimed in.

"Why do you think?" It was said without thought as he began walking toward the door, but Kaoru narrowed his eyes.

"They can bring you a dink," he said suspiciously.

Kyo took another puff as he stepped between the two geisha. "Well I want to go to the bar."

Kaoru, Shinya, Toshiya, and Daisuke all looked at each other and sighed. Kyo was notorious for his drug induced mood swings, and time alone was usually the cure.

In the hall, Kyo glanced at the Dimitre's door.

"This is such a bad idea," he smirked and shook his head.

Rummaging through his pockets he managed to find a small scrap of paper and a pen. He scribbled quickly and took Neko aside before heading out to a secluded corner of the bar.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Well I don't give a damn if Vanechka didn't like the opening proposal," Aleksis yelled in Russian. "It's my God damned company and I liked it. I want a fresh copy of the entire presentation on my desk when I get back. Do you understand me, Stesha?"

Skyler lightly touched his shoulder and Aleksis turned to look into her worried eyes. She put her hand over his heart reminding him of his high blood pressure, and he smiled tightly, covering her hand with his own.

"I'll be back in three days," he said warningly to his secretary. "I want the proposal and the contact information on my desk." He snapped his phone shut and took a breath. "I'm sorry, Ljubitel'. Can you set up my lab top? I'm going to need to make a conference call and I need to have the files in front of me."

Skyler sighed, "You said we could have lunch together today."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. Vanechka put in a vote to veto the Kaatje account," Aleksis said tiredly.

Skyler nodded in understanding and went to retrieve his briefcase. Fadey Vanechka had been a thorn in Aleksis's side for nearly five years, ever since his father died. He had used his father's connections and the sympathy of his friends to gain a position on Aleksis's Board of Trustees, but what he was really after was the company itself. Back dealing and underhanded hostile takeovers seemed to come naturally to the young man. And Skyler often wondered why Aleksis never gave the order to have the thorn removed _permanently_.

Aleksis sat down on a large cushion beside her and began dialing another number while she booted up his computer. As she typed in the pass code Gyūniku came in to kneel next to her. Aleksis turned away from them, speaking very low as not to be overheard, and Skyler turned to Gyūniku to thank her. Gyūniku blushed and bowed as she handed Skyler the tea, but she quickly turned and shuffled back to the door.

Skyler stared after her for a moment, and then at the note hidden beneath the teacup. She glanced back at Aleksis before opening it, and almost laughed at the poor handwriting.

"Come to the bar. Kyo," it read.

Skyler's smile fell as she remembered Aleksis's reaction to her wandering off the day before.

'Nothing happened,' she thought.

"True," she mumbled.

'It was completely innocent…and you both agreed that you would try to make some _real_ friends.'

"But I think he feels threatened," she whispered.

'Well he shouldn't. You love him…we know you love him.'

"I do," she murmured.

'Or maybe…he does have a reason to be threatened.'

"No, he doesn't," Skyler said angrily.

"Skyler," Aleksis said firmly.

She jumped and turned hiding the note under her palm on the floor.

"I'm fine," she squeaked.

Aleksis narrowed his eyes and studied her face closely.

She smiled nervously and met his eyes. "Really, I'm fine."

The voice on the other end of his line began speaking again and he turned back to his laptop.

Skyler took a small breath in relief and closed her hand around the note. She sat quietly, sipping her tea as the thoughts began again.

'Oh, come on…five minutes.'

She frowned again. 'That's what he said last night.'

'Well, then you plan on sitting here eating your birthday lunch by yourself?'

Skyler sighed and rolled her eyes. She looked over the painted walls again until her eyes came back to Aleksis. Silently she watched his fingers fly over the laptop keys as he balanced the cell phone between his head and shoulder. She'd always admired his diligence and, smiling, she leaned over to peck him on the cheek.

"Hold on," Aleksis put the phone down and caught her lips for a second kiss.

"I'm going to the bar for a minute," she whispered.

"Are you sure," he frowned.

"Yea, I'm sure. The guards are positioned at the end of the hall." She slid a long streak of blond behind his ear and kissed him again. "Ten minutes, and I want that laptop put away," she smirked and kissed him one more time.

Aleksis raised an eyebrow before nodding and picking up his phone.

Skyler stood and turned towards the door.

'Ten minutes and that's it. I mean it.'

'Ten minutes.'

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ok! If you're like me, you looked at those Russian words and thought, 'wtf!' I know, I know, but I just _can't_ resist putting people's native languages in to a story. I used an online English to Russian translation dictionary…thingy. So I don't know how accurate the translations are, but Aleksis is basically calling Skyler things like beloved and lover…you know, your average terms of endearment.

Anyway, I'll answer a spoiler question for whoever guesses the names of Skyler and Aleksis's geisha waitresses. u

Also the references to the Japanese fairy tales are from this site

http:// www. pitt. edu/ dash/ japanlove. html

I had to put spaces in the url so that it would show when I posted it, so don't forget to take the spaces out. And you might want to read "The Robe of Feathers" and "The Vampire Cat" because I chose those two stories for a reason. They're not long, and there are a few other Japanese fairy tales on the site that you might like.

Also, Shirakawa Gunpachirō is a famous Japanese Shamisen player. Google is a wonderful thing. lol


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Powder Lunch II

**Author**

The Last Kitten

**Disclaimer**

I don't own any rights to Dir en Grey and I don't personally know any of its members. I'm not making any money off this fic and this disclaimer will go for the whole story, as I hate repeating myself. lol I mean I really don't have any money so suing me wouldn't get you anything…unless you're a sadist. :p

**AN**

I know, I know. I suck out loud. I haven't updated this story in FOREVER. I just have this OCD need to make sure all my stories have the same number of chapters, and it helps me think of new stuff for each story when I'm working on another.

Also my freaken computer broke down and my entire hard drive got erased, which means I have to write out every thing and then go to the library and type everything up. Unfortunately I have this little quirk where sometimes my mind recoils in horror at the thought of touching a pen/pencil to paper. So…I said all that to say I'm sorry for the inexcusable lateness of this chapter.

**AN2**

Onegai (Please)

Choto-sumimasen (Very polite excuse me)

Midori (Green)

Chiya ({Cha}Tea)

Moshi moshi (Hello)

Keiniku (Chicken)

Inu (Dog)

Ano (Ughhh)

Domo arigato (Oh come on, ya'll know what that means! lol)

**AN3**

"Dude!" Means talking.

'Duuuude!' Means thinking.

ooooooooooooooo Means a scene change.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kyo flicked his lighter irritably.

It had been nearly ten minutes since he'd sent the note and Skyler was nowhere in sight.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette, only to leave it hanging between his lips.

'Ahhh, that first taste of poison,' he thought.

He glanced around again and then back to the bartender, a tall stubbly man with hard worldly eyes.

Kyo had strode through the restaurant, bold as ever puffing like a chimney, and as he sat down at the bar the man pointed to the no smoking sign.

Kyo stared at him and took a deep drag.

"Midori ocha," he said, ignoring the pointing finger.

The barkeep raised an eyebrow, surprised at Kyo's brass.

"Sir there's no smoking in here…," he looked Kyo up and down. "Not even for you," he countered.

Kyo smirked as he inhaled again. "Midori ocha…onegai," he exhaled in the man's general direction.

The bartender shook his head and went off to fix the tea mumbling about young people with no manors.

Kyo smirked again at the man's rambling. Thirty-five years old and he was still being mistaken for someone half his age.

'Maybe I should try a goatee,' he thought.

He flicked his lighter one more time before lifting it to his lips.

Suddenly, a hand clamped lightly on his shoulder, startling him and causing him to fumble it.

It made a loud clank as it hit the bar, a heavy sound that attracted attention despite the level of music and conversation behind him.

His fright had startled Skyler as well, and she gave a small laugh at their mutual jumpiness.

Kyo chuckled as he took a moment to eye her.

She wore almost the exact opposite of what she'd worn the night before; soft looking black slacks, black Mary Jane's, and a somehow quiet metallic baby blue button down shirt tucked smartly in to her pants to show off her flat stomach and wide hips.

It was a simple outfit that struck all of her best aesthetic features, and Kyo almost laughed out loud at how similar they were dressed.

As for most important public events, Kaoru had dressed him for their outing, wrangling him into a pair of black slacks, a simple black button down shirt, and an expensive powder blue tie.

Also, rather than fight him for an hour, Kaoru had given in and allowed him his beloved black Doc Martins.

And to complete the ensemble Kyo added his favorite skull pin with diamond eyes to the knot of his tie.

Skyler smiled in recognition of his appraisal and took the tall chair next to him.

'What the hell took you so long', Kyo thought.

"I just ordered some tea, do you want anything," he said in very polite Japanese.

Skyler's smile widened. She could tell he didn't speak that way often and she appreciated the effort.

"Do you know if they have Golden Oolong tea," she asked soft and informal, and she could since the small breath he'd been holding.

Naturally observant, Skyler was very aware that most men both feared and somewhat resented women who tried to change them.

"I have no idea; I've never been here before."

Just then the bartender returned and sat Kyo's steaming cup of tea in front of him.

"Choto-sumimasen," Skyler caught his attention. "Do you have Golden Oolong Tea?"

"No," the man said simply.

Kyo watched the man's hard eyes go blank, watched all the emotion drain from his face. He might as well have been answering the wall.

"Ano…do you have Shiso Sen tea," she asked.

"No," he repeated.

"Green tea," she tried with a raised brow.

"No," was the hard and final sounding reply.

Kyo looked down at his still steaming cup of green tea and then sharply at the bartender.

"Hay," he began loud enough to turn the heads of a few people sitting behind them.

"That's alright, I'm not really thirsty," she smiled. "Domo arigato."

She turned back to Kyo who just stared at her with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

Skyler smiled softly and shrugged one shoulder, "it happens."

And for a moment he couldn't look at her. This "demure woman" was too familiar, too close to the tone of a once tragic loss of innocence.

An almost forgotten name rattled around in Kyo's mind and he could feel his anger rising, but it faltered with the touch of Skyler's hand.

'Let it go,' her eyes whispered, and again the name echoed.

He turned one more time making sure to remember the bartenders face before returning his attention to the retreating warmth of Skyler's hand.

'Those hands,' he thought. 'Those hands have never _seen_ a hard days work…so different from….'

Skyler watched him watching her hand and it felt strange, awkward, and she moved slowly until it sat beneath the other.

But Kyo's eyes followed the hand, the manicured nails matching her shirt.

He wanted to snatch it back, study it up close.

Kyo imagined himself pouring plaster over that hand. He wasn't a sculptor but he'd take it up.

Skyler cleared her throat.

"Ahem, Kyo-kun?"

"Humm," Kyo snapped out of his daze.

"Your tea's getting cold," she smiled.

Kyo looked down at his cup, narrowing his eyes.

"Yea, I'm not thirsty either," he said, not so subtly pushing his cup away.

Skyler nodded but then squinted at him.

"Ano, Kyo-kun…are you wearing makeup?

"Oh yea," Kyo chuckled. "I kinda _fell _out of bed this morning…hit my head on the nightstand…."

They were both silent for a moment letting the obvious lie lay.

"So how was the rest of your evening," Skyler jumped on the first thought that came to mind.

"I'm still hung over," Kyo half smiled with a short laugh.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"So, how did you get stuck with the name neko," Tochi whispered, stroking the hand of the cat geisha.

She giggled behind the other.

Daisuke looked back at the sliding paper door.

'Kyo's been gone for a while,' he thought. 'Maybe I should go check….'

"So the appearance on Tokyo Today is set for tomorrow and the Japan Times wants to interview him on the fourth," Shinya said clamping shut his cell phone.

Kaoru was busy negotiating an appearance in America and Shinya nudged Daisuke to write the appointments in their collective planner.

For a minute Daisuke just stared at him blinking dumbly, until Shinya waved a hand in front of his face.

"Moshi moshi, anybody home?"

"Hum," Daisuke answered.

"Did you write that down," Shinya asked raising an eyebrow.

"Hai, hai."

He scribbled down the dates, glancing again at the door.

Kaoru began laughing suddenly and everyone in the room turned to look at him, puzzled.

"You won't believe what show I just booked for Kyo," he couldn't control his laughter. He held his side and covered his mouth with his hand to calm his hysterics, and everyone raised their eyebrows in question.

"…OPRA," Kaoru cackled.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Aleksis's conversation halted briefly at the roar of laughter coming from the adjacent VIP room.

"Hum, someone's having fun," he whispered to himself. "Hold on Lamier," he spoke into the receiver. Aleksis stood and crossed the short distance to the door, trampling the soft pillows. Pulling open the door he found his geisha, Keiniku, sat kneeling just outside. Giggling with another painted woman in front of the second VIP room, Keiniku went silent the moment the door opened.

"Is there anything that can be done about that party," Aleksis pointed at the door behind the inu geisha. "I'm in the middle of a very important business call."

The inu geisha bowed and turned to the door, but just as it opened Aleksis's attention was caught by two of his guards posted at the end of the hall and he walked away.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Sumimasen, our other honored guest has complained about the noise level," Inu spoke softly but stern.

Keiniku watched behind her, envious of her courage and poise.

"Of course," Kaoru nodded still chuckling. "We're sorry for the disturbance."

Inu smiled and bowed low as she slid the door shut.

"Hay," Shinya chuckled. "Where's Kyo?"

The group looked around, and there was a moment of silence before they heard the crash.

Everyone jumped and then ran for the door when they heard Kyo's raised voice.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Is there a problem," Aleksis asked as he approached his guards.

The two men stumbled their reply as their heads whipped back and forth between Kyo Skyler and Aleksis, who followed their eyes.

His hands slowly became fists as he crossed the room.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"So the first day of high school the teacher mistook Shin-chan for a girl," Kyo laughed. Skyler covered her mouth with her hand to try and reign in her bubbling laughter.

"He was _so_ pissed!" Kyo shook his head, grinning and looking into her eyes. "I still tease him about it."

And suddenly, they were laughing together. An easy familiar laugh, that looking at each other only seemed to spur.

"I…," Skyler began as she was roughly yanked from her chair, sending it loudly to the floor.

"Hay," Kyo's voice carried through the restaurant.

Aleksis's eyes blazed at Skyler, completely ignoring Kyo's protest, and she swallowed thickly.

He was squeezing her arm so tightly she knew that even on her dark skin the bruise would be visible.

He said nothing, did nothing but squeeze for nearly a whole minute, and when his tongue loosened he spoke low and even.

It was his 'there's going to be a long loud fight later' voice, and Skyler hung her head.

"There you are darling." Skyler looked up at him sharply. "I was wondering where you'd wondered off to."

Aleksis speaking English, except with business matters, was always a bad sign. He would be ruthless with her tonight. He would say cruel cutting words.

He would want tears as penance.

And from the look in his eyes, he would get them.

'You always hurt the ones you love,' she thought.

Skyler picked that moment to forget how to speak, and remained quiet as Aleksis glanced at Kyo.

His hand flexed around her arm, and as he opened his mouth to speak the inu geisha cleared her throat.

"Choto-sumimasen, the Dimitry party's meal is ready", she bowed.

Aleksis remained quiet and simply pulled Skyler along, nodding to Shinya as he passed by, his two large body guards automatically falling into step behind them. The two men stopped at the door of the VIP room and stood silent and menacing.

Kyo had made a short noise in his throat as Skyler was dragged away, but she turned and held up a hand in both appreciation and parting.

She even managed a small smile, and she too nodded to Daisuke, Shinya, Tochi, and Kaoru as she passed.

Shinya looked furious when he approached Kyo.

"What…why…how did you even…what the hell were you thinking," he sputtered.

"Shinya," Kaoru interrupted him firmly. "Not here".

Kaoru looked around at all the stunned faces and motioned their group back into their room where both their food and geisha were waiting.

When Kaoru closed the door behind them, the small sound made everyone jump.

He was being quiet, which meant things were going to get very loud later when they were away from prying eyes and gossiping ears.

It also meant that Kyo was going to have a few new bruises to add to his collection.

They all sat at the expensive low table in silence until Shinya couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"Why Kyo," he asked, head in his hands.

"Why…do you have a death wish?"

The room stayed silent.

"Do you hate yourself that much," he yelled.

The geisha flinched, and after a moment Kyo reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

Reaching for his lighter with the stick between his lips he spoke.

"What I wanna know is…," he paused to light it and take a drag. "Why," he exhaled, "is everyone acting like we were out there fucking on top of the bar?"

Everyone's mouth dropped, even the geisha, at his bluntness.

Daisuke and Tochi shared a worried glance before staring at the other three.

"Kyo," Shinya started as calmly as possible. "That may not be what happened," he squeezed the bridge of his nose, "but I can guarantee you that's somewhere near what Aleksis saw."

Kyo scoffed and took another drag.

"Don't bother Shinya," Kaoru suddenly spoke up. "Let him find out the hard way," he said picking up his chopsticks to eat.

Shinya just shook his head and retrieved his own, and soon the others joined in.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Aleksis and Skyler sat in silence, his mind so enraged it was forced to wander.

He thought of the moments before she'd left to go the bar. He could see her walking toward him with concerned eyes, could feel her hand resting over his heart.

How could she show such loving concern and then leave him to go gallivanting off with another man?

"Aleksis," Skyler tried. "We were only talking."

He looked up at her with such speed and fury that Gyūniku and Keiniku flinched, and Skyler quickly averted her eyes.

They were sitting at opposite ends of the long low table, geisha between them, set in front of the door.

"Leave."

One word, barely containing his anger.

The geisha looked at Aleksis, then to each other, then to Skyler, who nodded and they smiled softly in thanks.

When the sounds of their leaving ceased Aleksis took a deep breath.

He hadn't built his empire with brut force.

No.

He was a chess player, a strategist.

He would try another approach.

Skyler's demurity had a limit after all and he didn't want to see it.

That breaking point was the only thing that stayed his hand, many of his previous lovers not being so lucky.

"What is it...," Aleksis cleared his throat. "What is it about him that makes you want to leave me?"

Skyler's eyes went wide.

'Yes,' he thought. 'Let down the wall a little.'

"Is it," he played with his pain, "because he's a real ma…."

Before the last word was out of his mouth Skyler was at his side.

He knew how it pained her to see him hurt over the subject of his gender.

He was a man in all but body, that irreversible steep being one he never wanted to take.

He reveled in deceiving the world, in having all the rights and privileges of a man.

It was a hard cover to keep, and he'd raised a question or two early on, but through his brother and fortune he was able to keep it.

"Aleksis, I would never leave you, you know that. And your gender doesn't even enter the equation."

Her eyes were pleading for his understanding, his belief, but he turned away from her, a terrifying motion for Skyler.

He tried briefly to lie to himself, to pretend he didn't love to see her eyes pained for him.

"Aleksis…," she lightly touched his arm, then taking his hand in hers she touched it to her cheek.

"Let's go home," she whispered.

And that was it. He could ask for the moon tonight and she would get it for him.

It was childish of him, he knew, but Skyler was a rare breed and he intended to take full advantage.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

So…I hope that was worth the wait.

The next chapter will be up soon so please reply and let me know what you think of this one. It actually felt a little rushed to me but I can't tell, I've read it over soooooo many times.

Ja ne!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Mindlock

**Author**

The Last Kitten

**Author's Note**

So…here we are at chapter five.

It's been in the works for a while now and I hope it's up to the standards of the rest.

I feel the need to repeat something to both you readers and myself. I don't actually know any of the members of Dir en Grey.

My characterizations of them is a shot in the dark having read as many interviews and watched as much concert footage as possible.

I actually went to one of their concerts recently, unbelievable by the way, and I saw how each of them are on stage. How they interacted and reacted to the crowd, trying to get a more real since of them so I can write them the way I think they'd react or change if they went through what they do in my story.

Because they are real people I put as much thought in to my portrayal of them as possible as I am always a fan first, and I would literally keel over and die if I offended any of them.

That said, lets get on with the show.

**AN2**

I've been feeling weird about calling Toshiya "Tochi" for short, so he'll be referred to as Toshi or Toshi-kun from now on.

**AN3**

Sora means Sky

Nani means what

Antigone is from Classical Mythology. She was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta who defied her uncle, King Creon, by performing funeral rites over her brother, Polynices, and was condemned to be immured alive in a cave. ( and wickepedia rule!)

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Music throbbing in his head and cocaine throbbing in his veins, Kyo stared up at the flashing lights of the club finally finding their pattern.

Blue…pink…green…orange…purple…red…red…red.

It took him a moment to realize the changing had stopped, and he was glad for it, it was making him sick.

Slowly he rolled his head, left heavy on the back of the couch, to watch his friends.

Kaoru sat chatting with Shinya, a small sake cup in both their hands, and Kyo's thoughts echoed that of the rest of their small group in hopes that one small cup was all Shinya would drink.

The two yelled in to each other's ears before letting loose simultaneous barks of laughter.

Kyo couldn't hear the conversation and somehow he knew he wouldn't care if he could.

He lazily rolled his head to the right and watched as Toshi, ever the ladies man, quietly chatted up a petite woman with large doe eyes and a skirt the size of a handkerchief.

Then Kyo's eyes shifted to Daisuke, feeling up another mini-skirt on the dance floor. After a few drinks the man was emboldened, and Kyo watched the hazy meshing of the two grinding to the rock-techno beat, briefly wondering if it was all for show.

His eyes wandered slowly back to the ceiling, the red lights dimming softly, and suddenly his attention was caught by a slim shadow.

It flashed directly in front of him, across the dance floor, statue still, between blurring writhing bodies.

Kyo blinked slowly and heaved himself up straighter on the couch.

"Sora-san," he whispered into the ruckus.

She was standing there in the outfit she'd worn to the opening, and in the chaos around him he could still make out the glittering white of the bodus that clung to her frame.

But her eyes, her eyes were different, blue, like the sky.

And he'd never seen that shade before. They weren't dark or pale, just…blue, blue as the sky in May.

He locked eyes with her and for a moment he couldn't move. Her face was expressionless at first, as if she were trying to physically hold him, demanding his attention.

And then her brows began to move, and her eyes to soften in to a look of sympathy, almost sadness.

Finally her head began to turn and Kyo followed her eyes to Kaoru where a small red dot hovered just over his heart.

Kyo's head snapped back over to Skyler but she was gone.

Without a second thought Kyo was off the couch and tackling Kaoru out of the way of a well aimed bullet.

The shot rang out in the club above both music and chatter, and the following stampede nearly trampled all five of the group.

Toshi and Daisuke's women were quick to make their escape, and they pulled Kaoru and Kyo to their feet as Shinya drew his gun and covered their dash to the back exit.

Before he left though, Shinya's eyes scanned the club for the shooter.

He looked to the raptors and caught sight of bright pink hair leaving a high window.

Shinya cursed under his breath, he'd know that hair anywhere, and he was going to have a long talk with her later.

The ride to their respective homes was silent, but the air was so thick with tension a chainsaw wouldn't cut it.

Everyone took turns giving concerned glances at Kaoru and Kyo.

They knew the fireworks that would eventually go off.

As much as Kaoru loved Kyo he took very serious offence to being shot at, and for all intensive purposes this was Kyo's fault.

"What happened at the club was a warning," Kaoru stated the obvious.

Everyone except Kyo turned to look expectantly at him, and even their limo driver glanced in his rearview mirror.

Kaoru looked squarely at each of his friends before finally resting his eyes on Kyo's turned head lying against fogged glass.

"Do you care Kyo? Do you care that that bullet could have killed me…could have easily killed any of us?"

Kyo remained silent.

"She wouldn't have killed us." Everyone turned to look at Shinya. "It was Chibi-Usa, killing's not her thing," he said pouring himself a tumbler full of sake.

The group stared at the glass with worry, and even Kyo peeked over at the sound of clinking glass.

"Shinya…," Daisuke started, but Shinya looked at him sharply and he held his tongue.

"She was there," Kyo whispered.

"Nani," Toshi asked.

"She was there…she warned me about the bullet."

Toshi sighed, "Kyo…."

"You're high," Kaoru shouted. "She wasn't there! She's at home…with her husband!"

Kyo turned to him slightly.

"Yea," Kaoru twisted the knife. "And you know what he's probably doing right now? Fucking her brains out," his voice stayed raised and sarcastic.

"Shut up," Kyo warned lowly.

"Do you really think you can get in her pants? Huh? Do you think a man like Aleksis Dimitry would ever let a nobody like you get near his wife…let alone get in his wife's pants?"

Kyo shut his eyes and turned back to his window.

He was silent for a moment before deciding to further tempt a fist fight.

"I wasn't trying to get in her pants," he smirked. "Not to say that I couldn't if I wanted to."

Kaoru scoffed and shook his head while Shinya just took another drink and hung his. Daisuke touched his knee and gave his shoulder a squeeze before looking to his brother to say something.

Toshi looked from Daisuke to Kyo and tried to reason with him.

"Kyo…it's only been a few hours since lunch and Aleksis's already got Chibi-Usa after us…."

"She came to me," Kyo replied quietly.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Skyler nearly cried out when her head hit the headboard again.

As expected Aleksis was being a bull tonight.

Normally pain was a happy standard in their love making, but tonight Aleksis was walking the line.

A step under and she couldn't get off, a step over and….

Within the first year of their marriage Aleksis had perfected her taste for sex, for his own sake if not for hers.

He could feel the beginning shakes of her orgasm, could see her grip the bed sheets tighter, the tightening of her spine. She pressed her face into the mattress to quiet the scream of her peek but the noise still carried, and the guards sitting in their living room snickered as they looked at each other.

Aleksis didn't bother being gentle as he pulled out and flung the bright pink strap-on across the room.

Having cum three times already he walked naked to the shower and closed the door behind him, and Skyler knew what was expected of her.

Clean herself up, change the sheets, hide the strap on.

But something was wrong. She was still shaking.

There was a piercing pain between her legs, and the stabbing only grew worse as she curled in to a tight ball. She'd learned, in all her twenty five years, that pain was unavoidable.

"It's knowing that you're going to make it through the pain that matters," the doctors all said.

'Be still, wait it out,' she thought.

But it went on. Five minutes…ten…. And then she felt it.

Soft black fur rubbing against her hand.

"Antigone," she whispered.

The cat rubbed and licked at her hand, and she gathered it close to her, rubbing gently at it's head.

A few minutes later Aleksis opened the bathroom door to release a billow of steam, and the sound of purring assaulted his ears.

Startled, he ran to Skyler's side wide eyed, and grabbing her by the shoulders he shook her.

She started and Antigone leapt from the bed escaping Aleksis's notice.

"Sky answer me," he demanded, Skyler's eyes searching the side of the bed for black fur.

Aleksis checked her over and winced at the slight trickle of blood between her legs.

Panicking slightly he pleaded with her.

"Look at me, Sky, sweetie…."

Her eyes fell on the window then the bed and he hugged her close to him, apologizing repeatedly until he felt a weak tug on his robe.

"Lexy…," Skyler whispered. "I'm…I'm ok."

"No you're not," Aleksis said shakily.

He held her out at arms length to look in to sad eyes, and Skyler could see his machismo quickly draining away.

"I'm going to call Dr. Khnum," he said laying her back down gently.

Having spent a good portion of her young life in and out of hospitals Skyler hated them, and she refused to go outright every time Aleksis forced the question.

No matter the size or depth of the wound, the hospital would have to come to her, and Dr. Khnum had been Aleksis's loyal physician for over twenty years.

The man was trained as an army medic, making him an expert at patching up all manor of nightmarish wounds, and after ten years of army medicine and fifteen in private practice Khnum knew the human body.

He could pull it apart and put it back together with his eyes closed, and in all Aleksis's forty-five years there was only one other person he'd met with comparable knowledge of the human physic.

It was the woman currently bleeding beneath him telling him she was fine.

Skyler's grip tightened on Natasha's robe and she was nearly yanked off the bed when Natasha rose to fast to reach the phone.

"Please…."

Natasha looked back at the slim arm attached to her.

'When had she gotten so thin,' she thought. 'When was the last time I saw her eat'?

"Please, don't bother Dr. Khnum with this," she pleaded.

Natasha slowly turned to wrap her larger hand around Skyler's.

She'd been neglecting her again and she kept her eyes on Skyler's hand as she sat back down and hung her head.

Skyler moved with some difficulty to kneel beside Natasha and gently smoothed her long wet nearly white hair behind her ear, but Natasha only turned her head, desperate to hide her shame.

"It's only a little blood…really I'm fine," she said hugging Natasha tight.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kyo was the last to be dropped off and he couldn't find words to describe the twisting feeling in his gut.

Why did Kaoru always have to be so damned…blunt?

'Blunt,' Kyo almost laughed, as if he himself was ever anything but.

It was rare for Kyo to use tact. He saw no reason to sugar coat reality.

The term 'break it to them gently' was lost on him, and most admired his frankness.

Him being set in his ways though, he couldn't bring himself to fully appreciate those closest to him, or anyone else's bluntness.

It was just, well, rude.

"Do you want me to come up," Kaoru asked quietly, watching Kyo take one last snort of cocaine off the knife he'd given him for his fifteenth birthday.

He wiped his nose silently, then, "she's not my type".

"Nani," Kaoru said. "Anything with a hole is your type."

"Shut up," Kyo smirked, and then he was very serious. "Quiet…soft…she's a doll, an illusion."

Kaoru nodded his understanding. Kyo couldn't stand weakness in women, and Kaoru had always thought his taste strange. He was a Japanese traditionalist who hated demurity.

He'd once told him, after dumping his longest running girlfriend of two months, "I want a woman to fix me dinner because she wants to, not because she thinks she has to."

The limo remained silent and neither of them moved until Kaoru's cell phone rang.

Kyo used that moment to make his escape, and Kaoru could only reach out for him as he tried to answer the call with his other hand.

The door shut nearly catching his fingers and he stuttered his hello.

"M…moshi moshi," he muttered giving his fingers a once over.

He sighed when he heard the all too familiar voice.

"Damn it! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me on this line? It's not secure."

Kyo walked through the door of his apartment building silently lighting a cigarette as he entered, and the door man didn't bother reminding him of the no smoking sign.

That argument had been getting ignored for four years now, and he figured he's save his breath. It was obvious that the wealthy had their own set of rules.

Kyo took a deep drag as he stepped in to the elevator.

"Did you slip him the invitation," a figure laughed inconspicuously in to a cell phone.

"I put it in his jacket pocket on the way home," the other voice replied.

The sparkling red of the woman's cell matched the plush gold of the lobby furniture beautifully, and the large gold ring on her wedding finger clinked slightly with the phone as she said her goodbye and clamped it shut.

Her long black hair stood out against her deathly pale skin and her bright red dress and long fox shoulder fur swept the floor as she stood and returned to her limo waiting just outside.

A large graying man opened the door for her and she smiled seductively at him as she got in, hitching up her dress to flash him her pale legs.

Stone faced he closed the door and walked to the passenger seat, sliding in and nodding to the driver.

A second set of eyes watched Kyo enter the elevator and the pale woman leave before being called over to help another resident move their shopping bags to their apartment.

"Yuki, you lazy ass! Get over here and help Mrs. Daberu with her bags," the floor manager yelled, simultaneously apologizing to the old woman.

Yuki complied quickly glancing one more time between the door and the elevator.

The last pare of eyes, watching all three parties, returned her attention to her own bags filled with first aid supplies.

She shuffled quickly to the elevator and entered the code to the penthouse.

The short woman held her face near the retinal scanner disguised as a black glass panel and a soft British voice called her name.

"Hana Yugera, cleared for pent house level."

Hana giggled at the espionage of it all. She loved the 007 life, even if she couldn't talk about it with friends or family. She was still young, nearly matching the age of her employer's wife, and she often held long girlish conversations with her, having to follow Skyler around for most of the day.

In the four years she'd been working for the Dimitry's she had become more than just Skyler's personal assistant.

The rich and often busy woman never went out with other men or women in a recreational setting, so Hana became the closest thing she had to a friend.

As the doors opened to the penthouse she was met by a pacing Natasha and two worried looking body guards.

The shorter of the two, at a mere six foot four, leaned over and whispered a warning to her.

"He's in a **bad** mood so be quick and keep quiet," he winked.

"Domo, Dante-kun," she smiled sadly at him.

Her long blue dress swished as she passed Natasha and she kept her eyes on the stairs ahead, walking quickly.

She knocked quietly when she reached the open master bedroom door.

"Hana-san," Skyler called from the bathroom.

"Hana-san, I'm in here."

Hana knew Skyler well. She only used an honorific when she was being official.

She would take the antiseptic quietly and tolerate no questioning about her injuries, she never tolerated any of her staff questioning or badmouthing her husband.

If an employee had a quam with Aleksis they went through her. That's just the way she was. She bore the brunt of many of Aleksis's business conflicts, and determined to shield him, most times she stepped in and smoothed out begrudgement before he even knew about it.

Hana entered quietly unable to meet her eyes and instead choosing to study the soft silk of Skyler's dressing gown. The robe cut high around her neck and hung low around her wrists and ankles.

'She's hiding from me,' Hana thought, a need usually brought on by undo embarrassment.

Anyone in the world lucky enough to have seen the woman's body could tell you it was a work of art, literally and figuratively. The art adorning that temple showed a whimsy few people were privy to, and Hana was proud to be one of those few.

She set the brown paper bag down on the vanity and stepped back watching closely the hand that slowly reached out to pick it up.

"So…," Hana began, but was silenced by the quick slide of Skyler's eyes.

She was still wearing her contacts, something she never did at home, and Hana knew she should tread lightly.

Her good since told her to leave, be silent and leave. But her heart held her feet in place, and as Skyler turned away from her she spoke.

"Dimitry-san," she swallowed knowing the woman's temper. "I…what happ…."

"That will be all for the night," Skyler interrupted her softly.

That was a good sign, she wasn't angry with her, just tired. Her soft tone was an acknowledgement of Hana's fiendlike status.

Both pleased and further saddened Hana nodded to her back and left her in silence.

Outside the door she crept in to the hall listening to the clinking of glasses.

Natasha would drink herself to sleep tonight and one of the guards would carry her to the couch. Much later Skyler would come downstairs, shake her awake, and help her to bed.

It happened every time Natasha hurt her. It was her own special way of punishing herself.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

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Trivia for spoilers: What does Mrs. Daberu's name mean?


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